US President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal for a ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters, Trump confirmed that the proposal had been presented to him but made clear that he had decided not to accept it.
"They made a proposal, but I rejected it," he said.
Trump’s announcement came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented details on Friday of the plan Tehran had submitted to Washington. According to Araghchi, the proposal was intended to bring about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, provided the United States fulfilled the conditions included in it.
Araghchi stressed, "The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan," he said, adding that Tehran now considers the ball to be in Washington’s court.
According to Araghchi, Iran’s demands under the proposal are not new, and are already included in the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year between the US and Iran.
"If the necessary conditions are met, the Strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days," he added, noting that once the conditions had been fulfilled and the Strait reopened to maritime traffic, negotiations on the nuclear issue could resume.
Alongside his presentation of the proposal, Araghchi addressed claims that Iran is on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon, calling it a "big lie" invented by Israel in 2003 and repeated thereafter by Western governments.
He also stressed that "Iran does not accept coercion, threats, or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure."
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported overnight that Trump had told his aides he intended to resume strikes against Iran after the US midterm elections, scheduled for early November.